


Inspirare

by Ariejul



Series: Alone in the Fallout [19]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Boys Will Be Boys, But Shaun and Duncan sure are, Deacon POV, Deacon isn't having any fun, F/M, Gen, Sex Talk, baby talk, the birds and the bees, uncomfortable discussions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 08:24:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11505480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariejul/pseuds/Ariejul
Summary: Inspirare: lit "to breathe [life] into" - to instill something in the heart or in the mind of someone.Shaun and Duncan are curious. Deacon is very uncomfortable.Post-game.Deacon's PoV.Takes place during Memento Mori.





	Inspirare

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RemindMeWhoIAm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RemindMeWhoIAm/gifts).



> Hey guys!
> 
> So, I fully blame RemindMeWhoIAm for this. She expressed interest in hearing about Deacon's Birds and the Bees talk mentioned in Hyggelig, and this happened. Duncan is a bad influence on Shaun. 
> 
> And yes, this IS a sex talk. If that bothers you, you don't have to read this. Anything mentioned here will show up elsewhere. This is just mostly me torturing Deacon a little.
> 
> I have no idea if Deacon is even remotely in character for this. I tried my best. I like to think that Julia's influence has made him a little more honest, at least when it counts.
> 
> I would like to preface this with I have no experience with young boys, or how exactly their bits work pre-puberty and it's completely possible that stuff isn't quite right, so let's just wave our hand at any hinky bits that don't quite work. I was certainly not about to ask my husband about his penis when he was a child. Too many uncomfortable questions in that. 
> 
> I may or may not edit this some more in the future, depending. I tried to be funny. Maybe it worked?
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Comment/kudos appreciated, as always. :)
> 
> Edit: Forgot to mention, but Shaun makes a comment in reference to a previous conversation he had with Deacon in Litost, if anyone forgot and wanted a refresher.

Deacon’s sitting on the carport, leaning against the side of the house reading when he becomes aware he isn’t alone. Glancing covertly to the side, he sees Shaun and Duncan loitering close by. Duncan keeps pushing Shaun toward him, urgency in his posture. It peaks Deacon’s interest but not enough to actually address them.

It’s more fun if you just let it happen.

After a few minutes, Shaun finally wanders over, hands nervously held behind his back. He’s rocking on the balls of his feet, and Duncan is peeking around him at Deacon.

“Hey, Deacon,” Shaun finally manages, his voice nervous.

One of these days, Deacon needs to teach Shaun how to hide his emotions. Kid is a walking billboard. “Hey, buddy. What’s up?” He places his book to the side, intent on the boys.

“Well, I…” he starts bouncing his pointer fingers together, glancing around the area as if to make sure no one else is around. “I was wondering if you could answer a question for me. For us.”

Deacon has to suppress a laugh. This ought to be priceless. “Shoot,” he says with a grin.

Duncan brightens behind Shaun, and urges him on with a gesture. Deacon has to admit, MacCready’s kid is ten kinds of adorable, and he idly wonders if MacCready himself was at all similar at that age.

“Well, um, we… that is…” he swallows, balling his hands into fists at his side, “y’know Haylen, the lady that moved here not too long ago? She’s going to have a baby, right?”

When he doesn’t continue, Deacon nods, a surge of dread climbing up his spine. He isn’t sure he likes where this is going.

“Well, we were talking about it, and… where do babies come from? We don’t know, and when we asked Danse he just got red in the face and told us we’re too young. But Duncan thinks you’ll tell us because you tell us about all sorts of other stuff. I think so, too! So, can you? Please?”

Stupid kid knows how to play the puppy dog eyes card perfectly. Deacon groans and rubs his face, smearing the lens of his sunglasses in the process. Though, he has to admit he’s kinda sad he missed them asking Danse where babies come from. That had to have been priceless.

“Fine. Sit down,” he replies, gesturing in front of him. Might as well treat it like his little impromptu lessons. It is learning, after all, and he’s glad they’re curious about it at least.

Now that he’s smeared his sunglasses, they’re annoying to wear, but he really doesn’t want to take them off. He needs all the armor he can get. How in the hell is he going to tell them this? “Okay, first off, do you know anything about it?”

Shaun and Duncan glance at each other and shrug. “It involves a Mom and a Dad,” Duncan supplies with Shaun nodding agreement.

Deacon runs a hand through his hair and wishes like hell Julia had stayed in Sanctuary. He isn’t equipped for this conversation. Certainly not alone. Stupid MacCready dragging her off for God knows why. He’s still pretty salty about that. “Well, it certainly does.”

“But how?” Shaun asks, attention rapt. He’s leaning forward, elbows on knees, chin on palms. Duncan is mimicking him.

Deacon really wants to bug out right about now, but that would break Shaun’s heart; he can’t do that. He’s already hurt him once. He never wants to do that again.

“Okay boys, first. Anatomy lesson. Do you know the difference between boys and girls?”

Both of them stare blankly at him. Shaun, slightly pink-faced, speaks. “Girls have breasts,” he makes a C shape against his chest, “and they’re different down here, too,” he gestures toward his groin, “but I’m not sure how. Why does that matter?”

Deacon glances around, suddenly hyper-aware of all the faces wandering around Sanctuary. Faces that have ears and can hear what they’re talking about. New plan. “Okay, before we get into that, come inside with me.”

Both boys follow obediently, and they resettle on the couch. Deacon clears his throat and starts again, now safely away from prying ears. “Alrightie. Shaun, what you said is the key to _everything._ Now, as for how girls are different down below… they have what can be lovingly referred to as an ‘innie.’”

Duncan and Shaun share a look. “An _innie?”_ the younger boy asks, a note of incredulity to his voice. Deacon absently notices he’s lost one of his front baby teeth, causing him to whistle slightly when he speaks.

Deacon nods sagely. “What we have’s gotta go somewhere, right?”

Shaun stops him. “You mean… boys stick theirs… _in_ girls?”

A bead of sweat slips down Deacon’s temple, and he wipes it away. “Yeah.”

“But it’s soft all the time,” Shaun argues. “It wouldn’t work.”

Duncan seems to think about it, and immediately chimes his agreement with Shaun. Deacon wonders if he might have a Stealth Boy lying around. It’s looking more and more enticing to just _leave._ Shaun’s a strong kid. He’ll get over it eventually. Probably.

“Look, it _does_ work. Trust me. You both just haven’t hit puberty, yet. And before you ask, that’s when your body does all sorts of crazy things to help you become an adult, and _no_ , I am not going to talk about that anymore right now.” Deacon rubs his hands over the knees of his jeans roughly, focusing on the heat it creates. “Anyway, after puberty, sometimes you just,” Deacon waves his hand around, trying to come up with a word, “stand at attention, and that’s when it works.”

“What to you mean? Stand at attention?” Shaun looks confused and so does Duncan. “Like, it gets _hard?_ ”

Deacon’s voice cracks just a little when he speaks. “Yeah. Knew you were a smart kid.”

“That sounds like it’d hurt.” Duncan tilts his head to the side. “Why does it get hard?”

Deacon clenches his eyes shut and wishes he could melt into the floor. _Goodbye, World, and fuck you very much, you cynical bastard._ “Lots of reasons, especially when you’re young, but mostly because you think someone’s pretty.”

Both boys nod, taking in everything he’s saying with awe. At least someone’s enjoying it, Deacon muses. He’d rather have a one-on-one with a Deathclaw right about now.

“That means yours does when you think about Mom, right?” sweet, innocent little Shaun asks. “I know you think she’s really pretty.”

Deacon chokes.

“That’s a yes,” Duncan says to Shaun, pointing at his undignified reaction. “My dad acts just like that when you ask something that’s right but embarrassing.” His expression turns devilish. “It's really fun to do that to him.”

MacCready’s kid is a little demon, Deacon thinks as he does his best to recover. “Getting off topic here, kids,” he manages.

Duncan sighs dramatically, rolling his eyes. “You’re no fun.”

“What’s all this got to do with making babies?” Shaun asks, his tone slightly impatient.

“I’m getting to that,” Deacon grumbles, glad they’ve moved on from asking about his love life. He is _so_ not comfortable with that. “When you stick it in and move back and forth enough, you leave part of yourself behind when you’re done. That’s called sex. It’s how you make babies.”

Deacon isn’t sure he’s actually in control of this conversation anymore. Words are coming out of his mouth, but he really doesn’t feel like he’s consciously thinking about any of it. Auto-pilot all the way to the end: easiest way to weather the storm with dignity intact, right?

Both boys scrunch up their noses at that. “You leave something behind? Like does a part of you _fall off?_ ” Duncan asks, horrified.

“ _No_ ,” Deacon snaps, perhaps a little too sharply. “Think of it as… kinda like blowing your nose. Something comes out, but it isn’t actually part of your nose. This is the same thing.”

“You leave snot in her?” he asks again, and Deacon has to bite back a slightly manic laugh.

“Something like that.”

He imagines Duncan’s expression on MacCready’s face, and he has to bite his lip to keep from giggling. Neither boy seems to notice. Sanity is overrated, right?

“So,” Shaun asks, brows furrowed in consideration, “you leave something behind, and then what?”

“Well, that’s the Dad’s part of a baby,” Deacon says, and he starts making swimming motions with his hands. “It swims up inside her until it finds her piece, and when they join together, it makes a baby.”

Both boys look slightly awestruck, nodding.

“So, everyone that’s had a baby has done that?” Shaun asks.

Deacon nods, hoping the game of twenty awkward questions is nearly over. A larger part of him than he cares to admit really wanted to bullshit the both of them on most of this, and he isn’t sure how much longer he can push that bit of himself down. He’s pretty sure Julia and MacCready would be really pissed if he lied to their kids about sex and babies.

“So, where do you do it?” Duncan asks after a brief silence.

Deacon wishes they would just _stop_ already. “Bedroom usually. Gotta be naked.”

“Is _that_ what you meant about it taking two to tango?” Shaun asks out of nowhere, and it takes Deacon a second to remember what he’s talking about. Damn, that conversation feels like it was years ago.

He laughs. “Yeah, that’s what I meant. Kinda surprised you remembered, squirt.”

Shaun nods, looking vaguely disgruntled. “I didn’t understand it, and Mom wouldn’t explain. Told me not to bother you about it anymore, too.” He looks up, as if he just thought of something. “Is that what you and Mom do at night in her room? Sometimes I hear weird noises.”

Deacon chokes again, sputtering for a bit before he answers. “That’s… really personal, kiddo.”

“It’s easier to say yes,” he replies, turning to Duncan. “Well, we got our answer. You satisfied?”

Duncan nods, and they both wave and tell him goodbye.

He watches them leave before sprawling on the couch with an exhausted sigh. He takes off his sunglasses and wearily rubs his face.

He’s getting too old for this shit.


End file.
